June 29, 2011

Alright, I didn’t say much about the location of our hostel in Dublin (mostly for my mother's sake)... but Kelsey and I dubbed it the East Harlem of Dublin. See this picture? This is what the area looked like around our hostel. Sketchy. We are definitely glad that last night was our last night in that hostel! (That's definitely the 'sweet' part in this goodbye)

Let me give you a little taste of what hostels are like (at least this one).

Hard beds. You seriously could have slept on the hard wood floor and it wouldn't have made any difference.

Lame breakfasts consisting of toast and cereal.

The push button sinks where the water turns off after 3 seconds. And the showers were that way too. WAY LAME.

10 girls in 5 bunkbeds. Not fun.

Weird people everywhere.

Just think of indoor camping and you have the general idea.

We are SO HAPPY to be out of there and in a hotel here in Anglesey, Wales!

This is what we did on our last day in Dublin:

Kelsey and I decided to sleep in, because of all the crazy partying we did the night before (ok, it wasn’t that crazy but we didn’t get to bed until 1:30!). We got on the bus and headed over to see the Dublin Castle. We just walked around outside, and afterward we found a really cute place to eat, called the Queen of Tarts. We had yummy sandwiches and an absolutely delish raspberry cheesecake tart. When we finished lunch, we took the bus to Kilmainham Gaol, an old prison.

We were so exhausted after the tour that we decided to go back to the hostel to rest before we went to RIVERDANCE. (Who gets to see Riverdance in Ireland? We're so lucky!) On the way there, Kelsey and I got our last homemade donuts from a little shack on O'Connel Street. They are so delicious. And only 60 cents! Man, I'll miss that donut lady. Anyway. We made our way to the theater, and were met by Palestinian protesters. They're in a disagreement with Ireland right now (over what, I'm not sure) and were shouting "Shame, shame Riverdance!". It was interesting.

We made it safely into the theater without any harm done and watched an amazing performance. The Irish dancers are SO disciplined and it shows! They did such a great job.

We went back to the hostel and packed up and I did some laundry. Everyone was late getting to bed, which was bad news because we had to get up at 5:30!

It seemed like I had just closed my eyes when the alarm was blaring. We quickly packed up, ate, and loaded the bus to head to the ferry. This was my first experience witha ferry and it was pretty cool! It was kinda like a cruise ship. There was a big main area that had tables and food places and there were also cabins with beds, but we all couldn't get one. I managed to get about 45 minutes of sleep stretched out on 3 chairs, then Kels and I found out that one of our friends was able to get a room. The top bunk was open, so Kelsey and I squeezed in there and fell asleep instantly for another hour and a half. It was heaven. We needed that extra sleep!

We arrived in Wales and got back on our bus to head to our hotel/the Beaumaris castle. The drive was absolutely beautiful.

We had a quick lunch and toured the castle. To be honest... they're all starting to look the same. But it was pretty!

Our little town

Our hotel gave us a complimentary dinner and it was FANTASTIC. Probably the best meal we've had so far. Everything was so fancy.

I'm so happy I'm here in Wales for the next few days! I'm going to miss Ireland so so much. I really have never been anywhere so gorgeous and green. We met some fantastic people (Peter, Amalke), and made some great memories. But I'm very excited to continue on with this journey! Until next time!

Day 23: A song that will play at your funeral. Somewhere Over the Rainbow- Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY! I love Fleet Foxes more than any band, EVER. I'm really sad because they are coming to SLC while I'm here... I'll be in Paris, so I guess that makes it a teeny bit better. I would give my left arm to see them in concert. Maybe my right too. They'll be in Reno on 9/9(MOM?!! DAD??!).

June 28, 2011

On Sunday, we woke up and got ready for church. We took a 30 minute bus ride to the chapel, and arrived 15 minutes early, with no one there. Turns out, it was stake conference. We waited around, hoping someone would come. We tried to access the church website, but with no luck. We saw a car drive up and park, and a woman named Amalke (pronounced like “I’m ok”) from Nigera came out to talk to our leaders. It turns out, the missionaries had found her two days before, and had invited her to come to church today. Awesome right? Too bad no one was there. We asked her if she had the number for the missionaries, to see if we could find out where stake conference was. She ran back to her house, and came back without finding it. Brother Anderson got her email and information and we’re going to relate her back to the missionaries. Hopefully she comes back! I have a sneaky feeling she will. It’s no coincidence that we found Amalke that day. We ended up going back to the hostel and holding our own sacrament meeting in one of the conference rooms. It was absolutely wonderful. I have no doubt that everything fell into place exactly how it was supposed to.

Sunday was also our last day with our sweet bus driver Peter. We will miss him!

Yesterday, we got tickets for a hop-on-hop off tour or Dublin. Our first stop was Trinity College (University of Dublin). We saw the book of Kells (a copy of the 4 gospels of Christ) and the long room in the library. The library was absolutely breath taking. There were floor to ceiling bookshelves. The whole placed smelled like old books.

No pictures allowed... but this was my sneaky attempt. Kelsey 'sneezed' and I snapped one.

This is a pic of google. Isn't it amazing?

We left the University and went to the pedestrian shopping street, Grafton Street, and had a great lunch and did some shopping. Afterward, we met our group to see Even Song at the St. Patrick Cathedral. It was pretty much Gregarian style music and was so beautiful.

At St. Patrick's Cathedral

After the program, we ate dinner as a group then went pubbing. Pubbing here is different than 'bar hopping' in the US. There are Irish folk bands playing at every pub, and they are usually full of people dancing and having a great time. We found a really crowded one with some great music and ended up staying a while. People are usually really friendly, and are appalled when they find a group of 6 girls who don't drink.

The pubbing crew

It was Catherine's (girl on the far right) birthday, so we had a great time out celebrating.

Dublin is such a fun city, but I absolutely love the countryside of Ireland! It was absolutely beautiful there. On Wednesday morning, we'll be heading to Wales. I can't wait for that.

Shout out to my mom... today is her birthday!! Happy Birthday Mama!!

Day 23: A song that will be playing at your wedding. Woo love songs! It was hard to narrow it down to just one, but here's No One's Gonna Love You by Band of Horses.

June 26, 2011

Hello! I'm so happy that you are here. Put your feet up and stay a while. :)

I made the big decision to put this little blog here on facebook so you can follow my European travels this summer (and after, if you so please). This post is to introduce you to The Soundtrack, and explain some things that go on here.

First off, I will post a song at the end of every post. I am a huge music lover, so this really is one of my favorite parts of blogging. I love sharing new finds with people and I hope you will discover some new artists to love.

Along with everyday life/exciting events posts, I have some regulars here:

Monday Moments. It's pretty much the same thing as Sydney's Awkward and Awesome posts on The Daybook. These usually happen every Monday, but only if I have some juicy ones to post (or if I'm not lazy). See them all here.

Wedding Wednesdays. There aren't too many of these posts yet, but I love doing them. I stalk wedding blogs, and when I think I have something to post, I will. So far I have reception food, flowers, cake, hair accessories, leaving gifts, rustic theme, and a wedding feature. These posts are mostly for me, because it is what I like, but I hope it will help inspire you (the girls at least). One thing you should know about me is that I love weddings. A lot. I think if I wasn't so interested in the medical field, I would definitely be a wedding planner. No doubt.

To Happiness posts. I will usually ask one person to give me a list of 10 things that make them oh-so happy, then I feature them on here. Here are the To Happiness posts I have done so far. If you want to be featured, go ahead and email me your happy list at cydneec01@gmail.com.

Confession Sessions. This is just a little list of things that you may or may not know about me. I try to do these once a month. Here are the three that I've done.

Ok, I think that is all! (Just a little note on these 'regulars': they may not be happening as frequently while I'm here in the UK) So, do me a favor and click that little 'follow' button on the right (if you have a gmail account). I would love to see your little faces. Who knows? Maybe I'll contact you for your happy list and you'll get a feature on the blog. Then you'll be famous.

Day 22: A song you listen to when you're sad. Here's Silent My Song by Lykke Li. I really love her. Go here to listen to it.

June 25, 2011

Today, we packed up and left our lovely hotel to head to Blarney. There we went to the Blarney Castle, and guess what. I kissed the Blarney Stone. Supposedly it gives you the gift of gab, meaning you can BS your way out of anything.

I promise I changed clothes, even if it doesn't look like it.

Our happy study abroad group!

The whole process of kissing the stone went really fast. This cute old man greeted me and said, "How are you today, miss?" Then he instructed me to lay down, grab the bars, and lean all the way back. Before I knew it, the stone that thousands of people have put their lips on was right in front of my face. I quickly kissed it and I was up before I knew it! When we came back, Peter asked us if we had gotten syphilis from the stone, and told us horror stories of how the Irish pee on it at night. Ew.

After Blarney, we hopped back onto the bus and drove to the Rock of Cashel. This is where Kelsey and I came up with "Sleeping is for Babies and Buses". We probably sleep about 6 hours a night and we sleep pretty much the whole time on the bus. Nap lines are the best.

Anyway. The Rock of Cashel. The Rock of Cashel was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years before to the Norman invasion. In the early years this building was first used as an assembly place for kings and then years after it was used by the church.

View from the top

After the Rock of Cashel, we headed to Dublin. We checked into the hostel that we will be staying in for 4 nights. Ten girls, one room. Let's just say it's going to be really interesting.

Day 21 : A song you listen to when you're happy. Here's Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the people. Go here.

June 24, 2011

This morning, we woke up bright and early and drove back to Dingle. From the second we left at 9 am, to now, it has been raining nonstop. We drove the Dingle Peninsula and stopped to take a few pictures.

The scenery was absolutely beautiful and we tried to enjoy it the best we could with the crazy wind and rain. After our quick photo sessions, we would run back to the bus with wet shoes and tangly hair and Peter (driver) would say, "You're killing me, girls!" and laugh at us. Every time we said that it was cold, he would say, "No, it's fresh!". I love that little guy. But, as we made the final stop, even Peter couldn't say that it wasn't cold. The wind was blowing so hard and was rocking the whole bus back and forth, and it was literally raining sideways.

So beautiful.

Do we look cold? Because we are.

After the tour, we went back to the little city of Dingle for lunch. They told us we had 3 hours! We didn't want to look around town because it was still pouring rain. So we piled into a pub and Kelsey and I had the most delicious potato and leek soup. We tried to drag out our stay, but our waitress wasn't having it and had as out of there in half an hour. Kelsey and I ran from shop to shop, trying to get out of the rain. We ended up in another pub where we were able to stay for about an hour and a half, only because we took forever to drink or DC and eat our little scones.

While at that pub, we met the cutest boys, Harry, Charlie, and Tom. We sat down and they kept looking over at us and smiling, so we would smile back, and they would get all shy. Did I mention that they were about 7 years old? They were from England, and would hide behind their menus and peek around to look at us. Then they would say, "look daddy, those girls keep looking at us, to the right!" in their cute little British accents. We were dying at how adorable they were.

We headed back to the bus 40 minutes before we were supposed to, praying Peter would be there. Thank goodness he was! We were so happy to get out of the rain and take off our soaked shoes. Kelsey literally wrung hers out! Now, we're back at the hotel, under the covers, trying to get brave enough to go find a place for dinner in the rain.

Tomorrow, we'll be in Dublin, seeing the Blarney Castle! I can't wait to kiss that stone. Until next time!

Day 20: A song you listen to when you're angry. I don't really have an 'angry' playlist, but I think if I were mad, I would listen to The Execution of All Things by Rilo Kiley. The internet is really bad here and I can't post a widget. So, go here!

June 23, 2011

This morning, we woke up and had the most delicious breakfast at our B&B, made specially by the owner. We had porridge, different breads, fruit, and homemade chocolate rolls (aka chocolate in croissants). We were all raving about it afterwards, and our bus driver told us that that was NOT a traditional Irish Breakfast and he thought it was awful. He said there were no 'haffuls'... and we asked him what that was about 3 times until we finally figured it out: hot foods. Haha they say everything so weird, like 10:30 is half ten. I love it.

Oh, a note on last night, we were trying to figure out the converters and I'm pretty sure I blew my blow dryer AND the plug. So I had to tame crazy animal hair this morning. Looks like I need to invest in an European blow dryer.

After we left Dingle, we headed to Killarney to the Ross castle.

We hopped on a boat and went on a tour of the lake, then came back and toured the castle. Ross Castle was built in the late 15th century by local ruling clan the O'Donoghues Mor. They lost the castle in the Irish Confederate wars.

After the castle tour, we went on a lovely little horse drawn carriage ride through the countryside. It was so so beautiful and our driver was absolutely hilarious. He wanted to marry Kelsey and Angela, because 'a bird never flew with one wing'. Towards the end of the ride it started pouring and we got so wet and cold.

We met Peter and the bus and headed over to the Muckross house. The family that occupied the Ross castle fled to this house after the castle was captured. I thought it was a much better set up than the castle.

This is for you mom. I'm trying REALLY hard to get in my pictures instead of just taking scenery pictures. I know this will make you proud!

Day 19. A song from your favorite album. Easy. He Doesn't Know Why- Fleet Foxes

Ireland is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Seriously. We loaded up the bus and headed to Bunratty Castle and spent an hour looking around. It was really cool with steep spiral staircases that we almost died on.

After that, we hopped back on the bus and made the 2 1/2 hour drive to Dingle. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. There were rolling hills covered in green grass and trees as far as you could see. It started raining a little, and rainbows were popping up all over the place.

I'm super proud of this picture

We got to Dingle and checked into our bed and breakfast. It was around 9pm and we all were starving. Kelsey and I asked our cute little bus driver, Peter, for recommendations on food. He told us to try Harrington's, a fish and chip place. So after we got settled, we headed down the block to eat. The lady who took the order has such a thick Irish accent and I couldn't understand a word she was saying. So I just, said your normal fish and chips please! Then I almost cried as I coughed up 14 euro for it. But it was worth it. Best fish and chips ever!

Now, we are back at the B&B, not really tired because it's 4:30 at home, but it's midnight here. Woo! I really can't believe I'm here right now! It still doesn't feel real!

Just way glad that I'm in Ireland.

**This was a post from yesterday, but I couldn't add pictures! So that's why I'm posting today :)

Day 18: A song you wish you heard on the radio. That would have to be something by Jesse Woods. Here's Pj.

June 22, 2011

Well, blogger is being a little brat and not letting me post a picture. So sorry, folks. I'M IN IRELAND! Half of our group is here, and now we're waiting for some others to arrive. The flight from SLC to NYC was not bad at all. Then we had a 5 hour layover, where Kelsey and I ate the nastiest sandwiches, but we didn't care, because we we starving. We watched You Again at our gate, and at 11 p.m., we finally boarded the plane. Both Kelsey and I thought that the flight would be 7-8 hours. Nope! It was 5.5! We freaked out a little because we both took some 'sleeping aids' for the flight, and we thought we wouldn't be able to wake up. I ended up waking up a ton, but the flight seemed really short. Breakfast was served sometime, but I don't remember anything, haha. Soon we'll be leaving to see the Bunratty castle, but right now, I'm loving listening to the Irishmen talk. As soon as I get pictures, I will post them! Until next time!

Day 17 is a song you always hear on the radio. That would be Firework by Katy Perry. And guess what? I'm not posting it. Go listen to it yourself, if you really want. Instead, I'm going to post a little vacation playlist. Now, that's better than listening to Katy Perry, right?

June 21, 2011

I missed the Bachelorette tonight. BIG BOO! If there's free wifi during my 5 hour layover... you all know what I'll be doing. I heard Satan comes back in the next episode. I think some punching faces is in order.

Trying to pack 7 weeks worth of provisions in one suitcase. Oh, and making it weigh 50 pounds. And not having a proper scale to weigh the suitcase. So, the process went as this. 1. Weigh self 2. Get off scale 3. Get back on scale and grab suitcase 4. Cuss at scale for being temperamental and repeat steps two and three 5. Finally get accurate weight and subtract from your weight without suitcase. This is when you get really upset that you are 5 pounds overweight. Step 6 is try to consolidate and put anything possible and non liquid in your purse and backpack including: voltage converters, chargers, 24 slimfast bars, travel alarm clock, and books.

The fact that my mom said Go to bed now. No blogging, and here I am, at 11:50, not in bed, and blogging.

Awesome:

At 11:45 p.m. in the library, they make an announcement that the library will be closing. And if that is not enough incentive to get out of the library (come on, it's almost midnight on a Friday, I shouldn't have been in there anyway), they start blasting music to interrupt any studying you were doing. Sometimes it's tribal music and will scare the living daylights out of you after intense silence. Well, last friday, they played Montezuma by Fleet Foxes. As you know, they are my favorite. It was the absolute best. Needless to say, I took my time walking out of the library that night. The next night, we were studying late again, and this time they played Closing Time by Semisonic, starting at Closing time, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here. Awesome.

While waiting in line at the testing center to take a final, some guy was playing the ukulele while zig-zagging through the line. I love seeing uke people. It makes me happy.

TOMORROW I AM HEADED TO IRELAND! WOO HOO!

I am so excited to get over to the UK. I really am so so blessed to have this opportunity, and I cannot wait to blog about it!

Day 16: A song that you used to like, but now hate. For me, that's anything that gets overplayed on the radio. Namely, Lady Gaga and the likes. But I don't want to post about that. Remember? I only post good music. So, I've changed the category to favorite classical piece and that would be Liebestraum No. 3 by Franz Liszt. Guaranteed I'll be falling asleep to this on the way to Ireland.

June 19, 2011

This is my dad. Isn't he cute as a button?! Today, I gave a talk in church about my dad, and I was grateful for the opportunity to express my love and appreciation to him. Here's to a dad who:

Calls me at school to see if I have a break for lunch.

Fixes all my 'car needs'.

Brings me diet coke when I'm having a bad day, then sets up pedicure appointments for me and my mom.

Will serve anyone who needs it.

Blesses our family with his priesthood authority.

Always says, "I'm proud of you, Cydnee".

Still calls me 'squirt'.

Is my faithful blog follower.

Has set the standard for my future husband (mind you, it's a very high standard).

Dad on the far left.

So my dad is on the right, but I couldn't resist putting this picture on here. Look at my Aunt Lori's outfit! The best! She knew about pattern mixing before it was popular.

We were pretty much bad a.

I might be a little biased on saying this, but I really have the best dad in the world! I love you so so much. Happy Father's Day.

So day 15 is a song that describes me, and I honestly have no idea. So, I've changed the category (I'm so good at following rules, huh?) to a song that reminds me of my dad. Here's My Little Girl by Tim McGraw (and the extent of my country listening).

June 13, 2011

Again with the late posting!! I'm just going to forewarn you: this will not be the best awkward and awesome post you will ever see. I'm lacking in the awesome department a little. But, I won't fail my happy 15 followers (welcome Paige) by not posting anything, so here you go!

awkward:

[The faint of heart should not read this one... it's a little gross] So tonight Kelsey and I went to Joe Vera's for dinner with my family. Right after that, we went to the gym to do yoga. Well, Kelsey's food didn't settle very well and she quickly went to the bathroom and puked. She came back and said she still had a gross taste in her mouth, so what did I do? I offered her my gum... that was already in my mouth. And she took it. That is true friendship right there.

The insane amount of tools all over golds gym. Really.

When we got home, we saw a couple in the parking lot. Naturally, I was like "who is that? who are they?". The best solution to find out was to shine our brights. So we did. We still don't know who they are.

awesome:

8 days people! EIGHT! A little over a week and I will be on that plane to Ireland!

I got an old family friend, Chad Lewis (am I name dropping?), to come and do a fireside at our ward tonight. It. Was. Amazing. That guy knows now to touch people's lives.

The other day, I saw a guy walking down bulldog, strumming a ukulele. You go, uke man.

I didn't get to watch The Bachelorette. So, no commentary. Fear not, friends, there will be commentary sometime this week. I am going through finals right now, so there's plenty of studying going on... sorta.

Day 13: A song that is your guilty pleasure. I've chosen Pretty Girl Rock by Keri Hilson. When I first heard this song, I thought, wow, how vain. Now, I think it's pretty hilarious... and catchy.

Do you want an extra music bonus? I just heard this song and I'm loving it. Lost and Found- Kill Van Kulls.

June 11, 2011

So, I'm in a study group right now. See how well it's going? (Give me a break, I've been here for 3 hours already)

Day 12 of the song challenge is a song from your least favorite band. Let's be honest, no one wants to hear bad music. So, I've chosen a different topic, inspired by the title of this blog: music from your favorite soundtrack. I have many different favorite soundtracks, but I've chosen Whip It (awesome movie, go see it!) Enjoy these four lovelies and have an awesome weekend.

June 8, 2011

I just can't stop looking at wedding blogs. Wow. This week's post is on wedding food. D'oeuvres, if you will. Right now I'm favoring cute little desserts, rather than the full out glazed salmon and asparagus. Maybe for the rehearsal dinner. Here you go!

I LOVE FANCY ICE CREAM!

Ice cream and topping bar.

Cookies and milk.

How cute are those customized chocolate bars? And that table set up?!

I would totally consider this, since grilled cheese and tomato soup are my ultimate comfort food.

Day 10: A song you can fall asleep to. I absolutely love Explosions in the Sky- Your Hand in Mine. So relaxing. Check out the rest of their stuff.

June 7, 2011

It's about time I feature this lovely lady on here. Here's the story. I picked a random apartment in King Henry at the last minute for my first year of college. Move in day came around, and I was so nervous. Who will my roommates be? Will I like them? Will I like sharing a room with a random person? Well, all my fears went away when I met Kristen, the girl I would share a room with for two school years! Kris is always someone you can talk to. She can make you feel better in an instant. Through these last years, there were plenty of tears, lots of laughter, tons of random and hilarious conversations, and a lot of bedtime heart to hearts. From all of this, a strong friendship developed. There were also many times that we held 'rage dances'. When we got tired of studying for midterms or finals, or were just plain frustrated with life, we would blast an upbeat song and 'rage dance' it out. I miss this girl!

Kristen: To Happiness1. The people in my life. My wonderful family and friends.2. SPORTS!! Watching, playing, discussing, studying, and anything else that has to do with them. 3. Music that makes you feel like you are in a movie. But let's be honest here, mostly just music in general. 4. The compliments that I get from the preschoolers I work with. They are so genuine and you know that they are just full of pure kindness, My favorite is "miss kristen, you look like a pretty pretty princess." Who's heart wouldnt melt hearing that? 5. College. Wow, I have met some amazing friends that I will keep forever, and have learned more in these three years than I ever imagined. 6. Seeing people do random acts of kindness for others....it makes me happy to see that there is still so many good people in this world. 7. Seeing people ride motorized scooters. It gives me a sense of pride, like I am in an elite club for driving one of those around for a period of my life. 8. Summers in Eagle Idaho. Some of my favorite memories and best times of my life have come from these summers. 9. Making plans and thinking about the the future. I'm a huge dreamer, but it makes me happy to know that there are endless possibilities. 10. The gospel of jesus christ, this one takes the cake. **bonus: 11. Finding really great youtube videos and sharing them with Cydnee, Taylor, and Paige. I cant even try and count how many times this takes place

Gosh, I love this girl. I can't wait for another great school year!

Day 9: A song that you can dance to. Perfect. I know for sure that Kris and I danced to this on a 'finals study break' last year. Also we danced to it allll the way to St. George. Drop it Low- Ester Dean with Chris Brown.